Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe has questioned the recent ban imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) against Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), and assured that Sri Lanka would appeal to the global cricket governing body in this regard.

Speaking at a special press conference held this afternoon (10 Nov.) at the Sports Ministry in Colombo, Ranasinghe stated that the ban comes as a shock, given its sudden implementation by the ICC.

The Minister explained that the ban was imposed without any prior notice or warning, and is thereby inconsistent with the required ICC procedures usually followed in such matters.

“It is not ethical, it is a surprise”, Ranasinghe said, explaining that as per the ICC’s arbitration rules, prior to suspending a country’s membership from the ICC, the global cricket body is required to notify the relevant member country of their shortcomings at an Annual General Meeting (AGM), following which the relevant country’s membership may be suspended one year from the date of initial notice, in the event the concerns they were notified of remain unaddressed.

“How can they condemn our country like this? They condemned our country without informing us”, the Minister asserted, explaining that Sri Lanka is not the only ICC member with interim committees and alleged state influence in cricket.

Speaking further in this regard, Ranasinghe raised questions about countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan; the former where there exists a plethora of interim committees related to cricket, and the latter where, albeit ICC law stating that there be a women’s cricket team, the Taliban law does not allow for such an establishment.”That is also state involvement”, the Minister said, questioning the rationale behind Sri Lanka’s ban.

Thus, the Minister explained that measures are currently underway to first question the ICC on the grounds and shortcomings on which Sri Lanka’s membership was banned. However, if these measures fail, the Minister asserted that Sri Lanka would appeal to the ICC in this regard.

On Friday night (10 Nov.), the ICC suspended SLC’s membership, with immediate effect, saying that the national cricket governing body is in serious breach of its obligations as a Member, in particular, the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government interference.